At the residence of the 321st Branch Base Commander.
After completing his training, Daren gave his body a quick rinse and stepped out of the steamy shower.
He paused for a moment, staring at his reflection in the mirror—his body was covered in scars, lean and powerful like a coiled predator ready to strike.
The last round of endurance training had left him with a number of fresh wounds, but most had already begun to scab over. He figured a good night's rest would be enough to heal them completely.
The latest readings from his perception confirmed it—his stamina had risen by 0.312, now reaching 58.418. One step closer to the key milestone of 60.
"Progress really is slowing down... looks like I'll need to bring over a few heavy cannons from the warships to the training grounds soon."
Daren frowned as he looked over the densely packed, jagged scars covering his body.
With his body's durability growing stronger, standard blades and gunfire barely left a mark anymore. Saber strikes and flintlock bullets could only raise faint red lines on his skin.
In today's training, most of the injuries he sustained had come from Momonga's cannon blasts.
If he wanted to keep pushing his resilience and impact resistance, Daren knew he had to increase the intensity of his training.
That was the beauty of his "perception" talent.
With real-time feedback from his stats, he could precisely manage the intensity—enough to push his limits without risking irreparable injury or death. He kept the training within a scientifically calculated threshold.
Compared to the beginning, his physical stats were progressing much more slowly, but the important part was—they were still progressing.
Even though Daren had already been promoted to Admiral of the North Blue, commanding all naval forces in the region...
Power and authority were one thing. But Daren understood better than anyone: in this sea, personal strength was the foundation for survival.
His current objective was to solidify control over the North Blue before heading off to the Officer Training Camp at Marine Headquarters. He wanted the entire North Blue Marine force to become his true "territory."
More power meant better access to resources for training.
And with those resources, he could further sharpen his own strength.
Until he mastered Haki, increasing strength, speed, and stamina remained the most reliable way to grow stronger.
Daren didn't consider himself a prodigy or a monster like Sakazuki. That was exactly why he trained harder than anyone.
From his analysis, the average strength of an adult Giant was around 60 points.
Once his stamina reached that threshold, even in a normal state, his body would match the durability of a Rokushiki Tekkai.
And now, that goal was within reach.
Yes—Daren was walking the path of a monster.
No weaknesses. Strength in all aspects. A level of power so overwhelming, it left others in despair.
With the help of his "perception" talent, he firmly believed he would one day attain the terrifying, inhuman endurance of someone like Kaido.
A knock came at the door.
Daren casually threw on a robe and went to open it.
"Base Commander Daren."
Standing outside was Momonga.
"The ice you requested has arrived."
Daren nodded with a smile.
Momonga gestured to the two Marines behind him. Moments later, they carried several crates of ice into the residence.
The cold ice was dumped into the bathtub in one go. The two Marines gave Daren a look full of admiration before respectfully taking their leave.
"What's the situation with those two?"
Without hesitation, Daren pulled off his robe and stepped into the ice-filled bathtub, submerging himself completely in the freezing water as he asked casually.
Ice baths were part of his routine.
After intense training, they helped boost circulation, reduce inflammation, speed up recovery, and relieve soreness.
Momonga looked at the tub full of ice water and couldn't help getting goosebumps just from watching.
Hearing the question, a strange smile crept across his face.
"They're probably feeling challenged. They're training on the grounds right now."
Daren blinked in surprise, then chuckled.
"Seems the geniuses from Headquarters still have their pride."
But then again, their reaction was understandable.
There was definitely a hierarchy of disdain within the Navy.
The elite at the Headquarters looked down on the Grand Line branches, and the Grand Line branches looked down on the bases stationed in the Four Seas.
And it wasn't without reason—whether it was strength, discipline, or equipment, Headquarters Marines had a crushing advantage.
Meanwhile, the Four Seas bases—given their independence and distance from central command—were often poorly managed, with loose discipline.
Tokikake and Gion had grown up in Headquarters, born from prestigious backgrounds and showered with favor. Gifted beyond most, they would've never imagined that in a place like the North Blue, they'd be so easily and thoroughly overwhelmed by Daren.
No surprise it lit a fire under them.
"But Daren, are you sure their arrival won't cause any problems?"
When no one else was around, Momonga, as Daren's right hand, spoke to him plainly.
Daren narrowed his eyes slightly.
"My actions here aren't exactly hidden from Headquarters. This so-called 'inspection' is just a formality."
"The third Officer Training Camp is about to begin. Even though their spots are already set, they still need to go through the motions—polish their resumes, stack up a few merits."
"If the Headquarters truly wanted to come after me, it wouldn't be those two greenhorns. I'd be facing Vice Admiral Tsuru's 'baptism' by now."
Momonga fell silent for a moment.
"I just feel like your position is too risky. Sooner or later, The Headquarters might dig something up."
Daren shook his head with a faint smile.
"The North Blue's too small. The Headquarters barely bothers to look this way."
"And even if they do uncover something—so what?"
He paused, then changed the subject.
"I heard that Vinsmoke Judge has been stirring up trouble lately?"
"Yeah. He's been flaunting his power, rapidly expanding his forces, leading military campaigns all over, and publicly declaring his intention to behead the kings of four nations—including the Kingdom of Yadis—to 'reclaim dominance over the North Blue.'" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel·fıre·net
"Sounds like he's gotten his hands on some advanced weaponry. Must be feeling untouchable."
Vinsmoke Judge had once collaborated with the man hailed as the "genius scientist 500 years ahead of his time"—Vegapunk.
In the original storyline, after Vegapunk was taken by the World Government, Judge fled back to the North Blue with a portion of his technology.
Once back in the Germa Kingdom, he used that tech to revive Germa 66 and later led the infamous "Beheading of the Four Nations" incident—slaughtering the monarchs of the North Blue's four kingdoms and immortalizing the event in a massive mural.
"Send someone with a message—let him know that Germa 66 doesn't get to run wild in the North Blue. The Headquarters may be just going through the motions with this review, but I won't allow Judge to plunge the region into chaos under my watch."
He tapped the edge of the bathtub with a finger.
"The ruler of the North Blue... isn't Germa 66."
Momonga nodded, but hesitated, clearly holding something back.
Daren gave him a sidelong glance.
After a moment of thought, Momonga spoke slowly.
"A new group has emerged in the North Blue—powerful, and exceptionally brutal."
"They've already crushed several well-known mafia families, like the Gallon Family, and taken over their operations."
"I sent people to look into their background. Something doesn't add up."
He took a deep breath, his expression darkening.
"The leader of this group... is a kid. Not even ten years old."
Momonga exhaled slowly.
"...Donquixote Doflamingo."